University of Minnesota BIRCWH The University of Minnesota BIRCWH Program's overarching goal is to improve the health of diverse women across the lifespan and, by extension, to improve the health of their families and communities in Minnesota, the nation, and the world. To accomplish this goal, we will offer a program that ensures our UMN BIRCWH Scholars become premier interdisciplinary scientists. Our long-term objectives are to: 1) Increase the number of interdisciplinary research leaders advancing scientific knowledge in women's health across the lifespan and in sex/gender determinants of health 2) Transform the academic environment by increasing the visibility of interdisciplinary women's health and sex/gender determinants research and 3) Effect the timely applications of women's health research findings to practice and policy. The primary components of our career development plan are address by our short term goals including to: 1) offer an individualized career development program that provides outstanding didactic and experiential training, 2) strengthen our BIRCWH Program through new collaborations and curricular innovations, 3) provide a robust interdisciplinary mentoring program that builds a broad and diverse pool of women's health research mentors and 4)promote the success of our scholars through strong program oversight and evaluation. Our career development program is organized around broad themes and include increasing knowledge regarding: 1) research knowledge and skill development; 2) women's health and sex/gender difference research issues, methodologies, and emerging topics; 3) scientific dissemination; 4) interdisciplinary leadership development; 5) advocacy (e.g., translating research into policy); and 6) academic career development. The career development program will consist of required and individualized components, which will be delivered through didactic and experiential training methods designed to achieve the program goals. Scholar research projects that will funded reflect (but not be limited to) our main research focus areas: 1)Cancers that occur primarily in women, and sex-specific aspects of other cancers, 2) Obesity/eating disorders and their associated medical conditions, 3) Substance abuse and associated risk behaviors; and 4) Cardiovascular disease including sex-specific basic mechanisms and disease presentation Rationale and design of the program: We will make progress towards achieving the BIRCWH Program's goal by offering a program that increased the number of well-trained, interdisciplinary researchers who focus on women's health and the effects of biological sex and gender roles on health and disease. Planned duration and projected number of scholars The UMN BIRCWH program will fund four women's health researchers who are assistant professors in year one through four of their tenure track or clinical track appointment for up to three years. As Scholars complete the program, additional Scholars will be added.